Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-01
~but YOU introduced him to me as your SEC

y y
retary."
rank 1 might, it is true, have thought to
repose such trust in him. But was de-
ceived, sir, as fear am too apt to be when
I permit my feelings as man to overcome
my duty as an American legislator. Mr..
Dobbs enjoyed my patronage and the oppor-
tunity it gave me to introduce him into pub
hc life only to abuse it. He became, fear,
deeply indebted. His extravaganza was un
limited, his ambition unbounded, but with
out, sir, a cash basis advanced money to
him from time to time upon the little prop
erty you so generously extended to him for
his services. But it was quickly dissipated.
Yet, sir, such is the ingratitude of man that
his family lately appealed to me for assist
ance. felt it was necessary to be stern and
I refused I would not for the sake Of his
family say anything but I have missed, sir,
books from my library. On the day after he
left two volumes of patent Office reports and
a Blue book of congress, purchased that day
by me at store on Pennsylvania avenue,
were n,issiny-missingi had difficulty, sir,
great difficulty in keeping it from the papersP
As Mr.. Wiles had heard the story already
from Gashwiler's acquaintance, with more or
less free comment on the gifted legislators
economy, he could not help thinking that the
difficulty had been great indeed. But he only
fixed his malevolent eye on Gashwiler and
said:
"So he is gone, eh~
aYesn
"And you've made an enemy of hima That's
bad"
Mr. Gashwiler tried to look dignifedly un-
concerned; but something in his visitors
manner made him uneasy.
II say it is bad, if you have. Listen Be-
fore left here, found at a boarding house
where he had boarded, and still owed q bill, q
trunk which the landlord retained. Opening
it, found some letters and papers Of yours,
with certain memsranda Of his which :
thought ought to be in your possession As
an alleged friend Of his, redeemed the trunk
by paying the amount Of his bill, and secured
the more valuable papers,"
Gashwiler, whose face had grown apoplec-
tically suffused as Wiles went on, at last
gasped: aBut you got the trunk, and have the
papersr
UNFORTUNATELY, no, and that's why it's
bad"
"But, good Godl what have you done with
them1"
"rve lost them somewhere on the Overland
road"
Mr.. Gashwiler sat for q few moments
speechless, vacillating between a purple rage
and pallid fear. Then he said hoarsely:
"They are all blank forgeries-every one Of
them"
"Oh, mop said Wiles, smiling blandly on
his dexter side, and enjoying the whole scene
rnalevolently with his sinister eye. "Your
papers are all genuine, and won't say are
no. all right, but unfortunately had in the
same bag some memoranda Of my own for
the use of my client, that, you understand,
might be put to some bad use il found by q
clever man."
The two rascals looked at each other. There
is on the whole really very little honor
among thieves-at least great ones-and the
Inferior rascal mccumbed at the reflection Of
what he might do If he were In tho other ras-
calls place. "See here, Whes, he said, relaxing
his dignity with the perspiration that oozed
from every gore, and made the collar of his
shirt mere limp rag. "See here, we"-this
first use Of the plural was equivalent to a con-
fsssion-"we must got them papers,"
"Of course" said Wiles coolly, "if we can,
and If Thatcher doesn't get wind of them"
"He cannot"
"He was on the coach when / lost them,
coming east"
Mr.. Gashwiler paled again. In the emer-
gency he had recourse to the sideboard and
bottle, forgetting Wiles. Ten minutes be-
fore Wiles would have remained seated; but
it is recorded that he rose, took the bottle
from the gifted Gashwiler's fingers, helped
himself first, and then sat down.
Eyes, but, my boy" said Gashwiler, now
rapidly changing situations with the cooler
Wiles; Eyes, but, old fellow" he added, pok-
ing Wiles with fat foreHnger, "don't you sec
the whole thing will be up before he gets here"
"Yes," said Wiles gloomily, "but those lazy,
easy, honest men have way of popping up
Just at the nick of time They never need
hurry all things wait for them. Why, don't
you remember that on the very day Mrs.
Hopkinson and and you got the president
to sign that patent, that very day one Of them
d-n fellows turns up from San Francisco
or Australia, having taken his own time to
got here-gets here about half an ho,- after
the PRESIDENT had signed the patent and sent
1t over to the Office, finds the right man to
introduce him to the president, has talk
with hin, makes him sign an order counter
c.auding its issCance, and undoes all that has
besn dors in six year, IN ono hour"
Eyes, but congress is tribunal that does
not revoke its decrses." said Gashws.er with
return of his old manner; sat LEASE" he
added, Observing an increlulous shrug in the
shoulder of his companion, vat least during
the session."
''We shall sec, }" said Wiles, quietly taking
bis nat. ~.
"We shall see, SIR" said the member from
Remus with dignity.
CHAPTER XIV.
WHAT CULTURE DID FOR IT